Apparatus and method for mechanically providing power to a generator on a continuous rotatable rotor of an X-ray scanner

ABSTRACT

A system including an x-ray scanner gantry having: a housing; a gantry gear; a rotor; a generator mounted on the rotor; and first and second generator gears connected to or engaged with one or more axles of the generator. The second generator gear is engaged with the gantry gear. A motor rotates the intermediate gear via a motor gear. A second actuator actuates the motor gear to engage the motor with the rotor. A control module operates in first and second modes and: while in the first mode, engages the intermediate gear to the first generator gear via the first actuator to rotate, via the motor gear, the intermediate gear and as a result the first generator gear; and while in the second mode, engage the motor to the rotor via the second actuator to rotate, via the motor gear, the rotor and as a result the second generator gear.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to continuously rotating x-ray imagingsystems, and more particularly to powering a generator on a rotor of anx-ray scanner.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

A subject, such as a human patient, may select or be required to undergoa surgical procedure to correct or augment an anatomy of the patient.The augmentation of the anatomy can include various procedures, such asmovement or augmentation of bone, insertion of implantable devices, orother appropriate procedures. A surgeon can perform the procedure on thepatient based on images of the patient, which can be acquired using anx-ray scanner having an imaging system. The images may be acquired priorto or during the procedure. The imaging system may be, for example, anO-Arm or C-Arm imaging system. The images may be fluoroscopic orradiographic images depending on an operating mode of the imagingsystem.

The acquired images of the patient can assist a surgeon in planning andperforming the procedure. A surgeon may select a two dimensional imageor a three dimensional image representation of the patient. The imagescan assist the surgeon in performing a procedure with a less invasivetechnique by allowing the surgeon to view the anatomy of the patientwithout removing overlying tissue (including dermal and muscular tissue)when performing a procedure.

An O-Arm imaging system includes an ‘O’-shaped gantry and a ‘O’-shapedrotor. A C-Arm imaging system includes a ‘C’-shaped gantry and a‘C’-shaped rotor. Each of these imaging systems typically includes anx-ray source and a x-ray detector mounted opposite each other on thecorresponding rotor. Each of the x-ray sources generates x-rays, whichare directed at a subject. Each of the x-ray detectors detects thex-rays subsequent to the x-rays passing through the subject.

Although traditional O-Arm and C-Arm imaging systems were capable oftaking 360 degrees of images around a subject, the imaging systems wereincapable of rotating the rotors more than 360 degrees (or one fullrotation). Thus, the systems were incapable of continuously rotating therotors in a same direction. Once the rotors were rotated 360 degrees,the rotors were rotated back in an opposite direction to the initial (or0° position). An imaging system having a rotor that is 360° rotationlimited typically includes cables, which are used to (i) provide powerto device on the rotor, and/or (ii) transfer communication signalsbetween the devices on and off of the rotor. The cables may extend inthe corresponding gantry and may be pulled around the rotor duringimaging and retracted to an initial state when the rotor is returned toan initial position.

It is advantageous to provide an imaging system with a continuouslyrotating rotor such that the rotor is not 360° rotation limited. This isespecially true when imaging blood vessels. For this reason, certainimaging systems are available that are capable of continuously rotatinga corresponding rotor in a same direction. The imaging systems that arecontinuous rotor rotation capable include an x-ray source, an x-raydetector, and a generator, which are mounted on the rotor. The generatorconverts a low-voltage (e.g., 400 volts (V)) to a high-voltage (e.g.,150 kilo-volts (kV)). The high-voltage is provided to the x-ray source.In order to provide power to the generator, slip rings are used to pass,for example, the 400V of power from a stationary power source in thegantry to the generator, which is on the rotor. The slip rings areexpensive to purchase and maintain due to the required scheduledmaintenance of the slip rings.

As another example and instead of using slip rings, inductive couplingmay be used to convert the low-voltage to the high-voltage. Thisincludes placing secondary coils around a rotor of a gantry and astationary primary coil inductively transferring power from thesecondary coils to the primary coil. Power received by the secondarycoils is provided to the device (e.g., an x-ray source) on the rotor.This type of imaging system include a large number of coils, is complex,and can require additional energy to rotate the rotor due to the addedweight of the secondary coils and corresponding circuitry.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

According to various embodiments, provided is a system that includes anx-ray scanner gantry, an intermediate gear, a first actuator, a motorgear, a motor, a second actuator and a control module. The gantryincludes: a housing; a gantry gear formed as part of or connected to thehousing; a rotor; a generator mounted on the rotor; and a firstgenerator gear and a second generator gear connected to or configured toengage with one or more axles of the generator. The second generatorgear is engaged with the gantry gear. The first actuator is connected tothe intermediate gear. The motor gear is coupled to and configured torotate the intermediate gear. The motor is configured to rotate themotor gear. The second actuator is configured to actuate the motor gearto engage the motor with the rotor. The control module is configured tooperate in a first mode and a second mode. The control module isconfigured to: while in the first mode, engage the intermediate gear tothe first generator gear via the first actuator to rotate, via the motorgear, the intermediate gear and as a result the first generator gear togenerate power; and while in the second mode, engage the motor to therotor via the second actuator to rotate, via the motor gear, the rotorand as a result the second generator gear to generate power.

In other features, a system is provided and includes an x-ray scannergantry, a motor gear, a motor, a first actuator, and a control module.The gantry includes: a housing; a gantry gear formed as part of orconnected to the housing; a rotor; a generator connected to the rotor;and a first generator gear connected to an axle of the generator. Thefirst generator gear is engaged with the gantry gear. The motor isconfigured to rotate the motor gear. The first actuator is configured toactuate the motor gear to engage the motor with the rotor. The controlmodule is configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode. Thecontrol module is configured to: while in the first mode, translate themotor gear to disengage the motor from the rotor and turn OFF thegenerator; and while in the second mode, (i) translate the motor gearvia the first actuator to engage the motor to the rotor, and (ii)rotate, via the motor gear, the rotor and as a result the firstgenerator gear to generate power.

In other features, a system is provided and includes an x-ray scannergantry, an intermediate gear, a first actuator, a motor gear, a motor, asecond actuator and a control module. The gantry includes: a rotor; agenerator connected to the rotor; and a generator gear connected to anaxle of the generator. The first actuator connected to the intermediategear. The motor gear is coupled to and configured to rotate theintermediate gear. The motor is configured to rotate the motor gear. Thesecond actuator is configured to actuate the motor gear to engage themotor with the rotor. The control module is configured to operate in afirst mode and a second mode. The control module is configured to: whilein the first mode, engage the intermediate gear to the generator gearvia the first actuator to rotate, via the motor gear, the intermediategear and as a result the generator gear to generate power; and while inthe second mode, disengage the intermediate gear from the generator gearto turn OFF the generator.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. The description and specific examples in this summaryare intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is an environmental view of an imaging system in an operatingtheatre, including a rotor with a mechanically powered generator inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is functional block diagram and side view of a portion of theimaging system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is functional block diagram of a portion of the imaging system ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of operating the imaging system inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To overcome the disadvantages associated with traditional imagingsystems that have continuous rotation capable rotors, imaging systemexamples are disclosed herein, which each include a mechanically poweredgenerator. The generators are mounted on or connected to respectiverotors of the gantries. The disclosed imaging systems are less complex,less expensive, and require less maintenance than the imaging systemsincluding slip rings and inductive coupling devices to transfer power todevices on a rotor of a gantry.

The following description is merely exemplary in nature. It should beunderstood that throughout the drawings, corresponding referencenumerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. As indicatedabove, the present teachings are directed toward an imaging system, suchas an O-Arm or C-Arm imaging system. It should be noted, however, thatthe teachings disclosed herein are applicable to other imaging systems.

FIG. 1 shows an operating theatre (or inside of an operating room) 10and a user 12 (e.g., a physician) performing a procedure on a subject(e.g., a patient) 14. In performing the procedure, the user 12 uses animaging system 16 to acquire image data of the patient 14. The imagedata acquired of the patient 14 can include two-dimensional (2D) orthree-dimensional (3D) images. Models may be generated using theacquired image data. The model can be a three-dimension (3D) volumetricmodel generated based on the acquired image data using varioustechniques, including algebraic iterative techniques. The image data(designated 18) can be displayed on a display device 20, andadditionally, may be displayed on a display device 32 a associated withan imaging computing system 32. The displayed image data 18 may include2D images, 3D images, and/or a time changing 4D images. The displayedimage data 18 may also include acquired image data, generated imagedata, and/or a combination of the acquired and generated image data.

Image data acquired of a patient 14 may be acquired as 2D projections.The 2D projections may then be used to reconstruct 3D volumetric imagedata of the patient 14. Also, theoretical or forward 2D projections maybe generated from the 3D volumetric image data. Accordingly, image datamay be used to provide 2D projections and/or 3D volumetric models.

The display device 20 may be part of a computing system 22. Thecomputing system 22 may include a variety of computer-readable media.The computer-readable media may be any available media that is accessedby the computing system 22 and may include both volatile andnon-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media. By way ofexample, the computer-readable media may include computer storage mediaand communication media. Storage media includes, but is not limited to,RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM,Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to storecomputer-readable instructions, software, data structures, programmodules, and other data and which can be accessed by the computingsystem 22. The computer-readable media may be accessed directly orthrough a network such as the Internet.

In one example, the computing system 22 can include an input device 24,such as a keyboard, and one or more processors 26 (the one or moreprocessors may include multiple-processing core processors,microprocessors, etc.) that may be incorporated with the computingsystem 22. The input device 24 may include any suitable device to enablea user to interface with the computing system 22, such as a touchpad,touch pen, touch screen, keyboard, mouse, joystick, trackball, wirelessmouse, audible control or a combination thereof. Furthermore, while thecomputing system 22 is described and illustrated herein as comprisingthe input device 24 discrete from the display device 20, the computingsystem 22 may include a touchpad or tablet computing device and may beintegrated within or be part of the imaging computing system 32. Aconnection (or communication line) 28 may be provided between thecomputing system 22 and the display device 20 for data communication toallow driving the display device 20 to illustrate the image data 18.

The imaging system 16 may be an O-Arm imaging system, a C-Arm imagingsystem or other suitable imaging system. The imaging system 16 mayinclude a mobile cart 30, the imaging computing system 32 and a gantry34 (or x-ray scanner gantry). The gantry 34 includes an x-ray source 36,a collimator (not shown), a multi-row detector 38, a flat panel detector40 and a rotor 42. With reference to FIG. 1, the mobile cart 30 may bemoved from one operating theater or room to another and the gantry 34may be moved relative to the mobile cart 30. This allows the imagingsystem 16 to be mobile and used for various procedures without requiringa capital expenditure or space dedicated to a fixed imaging system.Although the gantry 34 is shown as being mobile, the gantry 34 may notbe connected to the mobile cart 30 and may be in a fixed position.

The gantry 34 may define an isocenter of the imaging system 16. In thisregard, a centerline C1 through the gantry 34 defines an isocenter orcenter of the imaging system 16. Generally, the patient 14 can bepositioned along the centerline C1 of the gantry 34, such that alongitudinal axis of the patient 14 is aligned with the isocenter of theimaging system 16.

The imaging computing system 32 may control the movement, positioningand adjustment of the multi-row detector 38, the flat panel detector 40and the rotor 42 independently to enable image data acquisition via animage processing module 43 of the processor 26. The processed images maybe displayed on the display device 20.

During operation, the source 36 emits x-rays through the patient 14,which are detected by the multi-row detector 38 or the flat paneldetector 40. The x-rays emitted by the source 36 may be shaped by thecollimator and emitted for detection by the multi-row detector 38 or theflat panel detector 40. The collimator may include one or more leaves,which may be controlled to shape the x-rays emitted by the source 36.The collimator may shape the x-rays emitted by the source 36 into a beamthat corresponds with the shape of the multi-row detector 38 and theflat panel detector 40. The multi-row detector 38 may be selected toacquire image data of low contrast regions of the anatomy, such asregions of soft tissue. The flat panel detector 40 may be selected toacquire image data of high contrast regions of the anatomy, such asbone. The source 36, the collimator, the multi-row detector 38 and theflat panel detector 40 may each be coupled to and/or mounted on therotor 42.

The multi-row detector 38 and the flat panel detector 40 may be coupledto the rotor 42 to be (i) diametrically opposed from the source 36 andthe collimator within the gantry 34, and (ii) independently movablerelative to each other and into alignment with the source 36 and thecollimator. In one example, the multi-row detector 38 may be positionedsuch that the flat panel detector 40 may be adjacent to the multi-rowdetector 38. In one alternative example, the flat panel detector 40 maybe moved over the multi-row detector 38 into alignment with the source36 when an image using the flat panel detector 40 is acquired. Inanother example, the multi-row detector 38 may be positioned over theflat panel detector 40. As a further alternative, the multi-row detector38 and the flat panel detector 40 may each be separately movable, suchthat the selected multi-row detector 38 or flat panel detector 40 may bealigned with the source 36 and the collimator. The selected one of themulti-row detector 38 and the flat panel detector 40 may be aligned withthe source 36 and the collimator when the selected one of the multi-rowdetector 38 and the flat panel detector 40 is substantially opposite orabout 180 degrees apart from the source 36 and the collimator.

As the source 36, collimator, multi-row detector 38 and flat paneldetector 40 are coupled to the rotor 42, the source 36, collimator,multi-row detector 38 and flat panel detector 40 are movable within thegantry 34 about the patient 14. Thus, the multi-row detector 38 and theflat panel detector 40 are able to be rotated in a 360° motion aroundthe patient 14, as indicated by arrow 39. The source 36 and collimatormay move in concert with at least one of the multi-row detector 38 andthe flat panel detector 40 such that the source 36 and collimator remaingenerally 180° apart from and opposed to the multi-row detector 38 orflat panel detector 40.

The gantry 34 has multiple degrees of freedom of motion. The gantry 34may be isometrically swayed or swung (herein also referred to asiso-sway) relative to table 15 on which the patient 14 is disposed. Theisometric swing is indicated by arrow 41. The gantry 34 may be: tiltedrelative to the patient 14 (as indicated by arrow 45); movedlongitudinally relative to the patient 14 (as indicated by arrow 44);moved up and down relative to the mobile cart 30 and transversely to thepatient 14 (as indicated by arrow 46); and moved away from or towardsthe mobile cart 30 (as indicated by arrow 48). These different degreesof freedom of motion of the gantry 34 allow the source 36, collimator,multi-row detector 38 and flat panel detector 40 to be positionedrelative to the patient 14.

The imaging system 16 may be precisely controlled by the imagingcomputing system 32 to move the source 36, collimator, the multi-rowdetector 38 and the flat panel detector 40 relative to the patient 14 togenerate precise image data of the patient 14. In addition, the imagingsystem 16 may be connected with the processor 26 via connection 50 whichincludes a wired or wireless connection or physical media transfer fromthe imaging system 16 to the processor 26. Thus, image data collectedwith the imaging system 16 may also be transferred from the imagingcomputing system 32 to the computing system 22 for navigation, display,reconstruction, etc.

The imaging system 16 may also be used during an unnavigated ornavigated procedure. In a navigated procedure, a localizer, includingeither or both of an optical localizer 60 and an electromagneticlocalizer 62, may be used to generate a field or receive or send asignal within a navigation domain relative to the patient 14. Ifdesired, the components associated with performing a navigated proceduremay be integrated within the imaging system 16. The navigated space ornavigational domain relative to the patient 14 may be registered to theimage data 18 to allow registration of a navigation space defined withinthe navigational domain and an image space defined by the image data 18.A patient tracker (or a dynamic reference frame) 64 may be connected tothe patient 14 to allow for a dynamic registration and maintenance ofthe registration of the patient 14 to the image data 18.

An instrument 66 may then be tracked relative to the patient 14 to allowfor a navigated procedure. The instrument 66 may include an opticaltracking device 68 and/or an electromagnetic tracking device 70 to allowfor tracking of the instrument 66 with either or both of the opticallocalizer 60 or the electromagnetic localizer 62. The instrument 66 mayinclude a communication line 72 with a navigation interface device 74,which may communicate with the electromagnetic localizer 62 and/or theoptical localizer 60. The navigation interface device 74 may thencommunicate with the processor 26 via a communication line 80. Theconnections or communication lines 28, 50, 76, 78, or 80 can be wirebased as shown or the corresponding devices may communicate wirelesslywith each other. The imaging system 16 tracks the instrument 66 relativeto the patient 14 to allow for illustration of the tracked location ofthe instrument 66 relative to the image data 18 for performing aprocedure.

The instrument 66 may be an interventional instrument and/or an implant.Implants may include a ventricular or vascular stent, a spinal implant,neurological stent or the like. The instrument 66 may be aninterventional instrument such as a deep brain or neurologicalstimulator, an ablation device, or other appropriate instrument.Tracking the instrument 66 allows for viewing the location of theinstrument 66 relative to the patient 14 with use of the registeredimage data 18 and without direct viewing of the instrument 66 within thepatient 14. For example, the instrument 66 may be graphicallyillustrated as an icon superimposed on the image data 18.

Further, the imaging system 16 may include a tracking device, such as anoptical tracking device 82 or an electromagnetic tracking device 84 tobe tracked with a respective optical localizer 60 or the electromagneticlocalizer 62. The tracking devices 82, 84 may be associated directlywith the source 36, multi-row detector 38, flat panel detector 40, rotor42, the gantry 34, or other appropriate part of the imaging system 16 todetermine the location or position of the source 36, multi-row detector38, flat panel detector 40, rotor 42 and/or gantry 34 relative to aselected reference frame. As illustrated, the tracking devices 82, 84may be positioned on the exterior of the housing of the gantry 34.Accordingly, portions of the imaging system 16 including the instrument66 may be tracked relative to the patient 14 to allow for initialregistration, automatic registration or continued registration of thepatient 14 relative to the image data 18.

The image processing module 43 may receive user input data from theinput device 32 c and may output the image data 18 to the display device20 or the display device 32 a. The user input data may include a requestto acquire image data of the patient 14. Based on the user input data,the image processing module 43 may generate a detector signal and amotion signal. The detector signal may include a selected detector forimage acquisition. The motion signal may include a motion profile forthe rotor 42 to move to a selected location to acquire image data. Themotion signal may be a command or instruction signal that is providedfrom the image processing module to a gantry control module 85. Thegantry control module 85 may be included in the imaging computing system32, on the mobile cart 30, or as part of the processor 26. The imageprocessing module 43 may also send a source signal to the source 36. Thesource signal may command the source 36 to output or emit at least oneor more x-ray pulses. The image processing module 43 may also send acollimator signal to the collimator. The collimator signal may indicatea selected shape of one or more collimated x-ray pulses. The selectedshape of the collimated x-ray pulses may correspond to the selected oneof the multi-row detector 38 and the flat panel detector 40. In thisregard, if the multi-row detector 38 is selected, the collimated x-raypulses may be shaped by the collimator to match the shape of themulti-row detector 38. If the flat panel detector 40 is selected, thenthe collimated x-ray pulses may be shaped by the collimator to match theshape of the flat panel detector 40.

The image processing module 43 may also receive as input a multi-rowdetector signal, which may include the one or more collimated x-raypulses detected by the multi-row detector 38. The image processingmodule 43 may receive as input a flat panel detector signal, which mayinclude the one or more collimated x-ray pulses detected by the flatpanel detector 40. Based on the received collimated x-ray pulses, theimage processing module 43 may generate the image data 18.

In one example, the image data 18 may include a single 2D image. Inanother example, the image processing module 43 may perform automaticreconstruction of an initial 3D model of an area of interest of thepatient 14. Reconstruction of the 3D model may be performed in anyappropriate manner, such as using algebraic techniques for optimization.The algebraic techniques may include Expectation maximization (EM),Ordered Subsets EM (OS-EM), Simultaneous Algebraic ReconstructionTechnique (SART) and total variation minimization. A 3D volumetricreconstruction may be provided based on the 2D projections.

The algebraic techniques may include an iterative process to perform areconstruction of the patient 14 for display as the image data 18. Forexample, a pure or theoretical image data projection, based on orgenerated from an atlas or stylized model of a “theoretical” patient,may be iteratively changed until the theoretical projection images matchthe acquired 2D projection image data of the patient 14. Then, thestylized model may be appropriately altered as the 3D volumetricreconstruction model of the acquired 2D projection image data of thepatient 14 and may be used in a surgical intervention, such asnavigation, diagnosis, or planning interventions. In this regard, thestylized model may provide additional detail regarding the anatomy ofthe patient 14, which may enable the user 12 to plan the surgicalintervention efficiently. The theoretical model may be associated withtheoretical image data to construct the theoretical model. In this way,the model or the image data 18 may be built based upon image dataacquired of the patient 14 with the imaging system 16. The imageprocessing module 43 may output the image data 18 to the display device32 a.

The gantry control module 85 may receive as an input the detector signaland the motion signal from the image processing module 43. The gantrycontrol module 85, based on the detector signal and the motion signalmay transmit (via wires or wirelessly) control signals to a rotorcontrol module 90. The rotor control module 90 may be located on therotor 42. Based on the detector signal, the gantry control module 85 maygenerate a first move signal to move the selected one of the multi-rowdetector 38 or the flat panel detector 40 into alignment with the source36 and the collimator. Based on the motion signal, the gantry controlmodule 85 may also generate a second move signal for the rotor 42 tomove or rotate the rotor 42 within the gantry 34 relative to the patient14. A third move signal may be generated based on the motion signal andprovided to the rotor control module 90. The rotor 42 may be rotated tomove the source 36, the collimator, the multi-row detector 38 and theflat panel detector 40 360° around the longitudinal axis of the patient14 within the gantry 34. The rotor may be continuously rotated in asingle direction more than 360°. The movement of the source 36, thecollimator, the multi-row detector 38 and the flat panel detector 40about the patient 14 may be controlled to acquire image data at selectedlocations and orientations relative to the patient 14. The gantrycontrol module 85 and the rotor control module 90 are further describedbelow with respect to FIGS. 2-4.

The 2D image data may be acquired at each of multiple annular positionsof the rotor 42. The 3D image data may be generated based on the 2Dimage data. Also, the gantry 34, the source 36, the multi-row detector38 and the flat panel detector 40 may not be moved in a circle, butrather may be moved in another pattern, such as a spiral helix, or otherrotary movement about or relative to the patient 14. This can reduceexposure of a patient to radiation. The pattern (or path) may benon-symmetrical and/or non-linear based on movements of the imagingsystem 16, such as the gantry 34. In other words, the path may not becontinuous in that the gantry 34 may be stopped and moved back in adirection along the path the gantry 34 previously followed. This mayinclude following previous oscillations of the gantry 34.

Inputs to the imaging system 16 may be received at the input device 32c, input device 24, or other control modules (not shown) within thecomputing system 22 or imaging computing system 32, and/or determined byother sub-modules (not shown) within the image processing module 43. Theimage processing module 43 may receive user input data requesting thatimage data of the patient 14 be acquired. The input data may includeinformation as to whether the region of interest on the patient 14 is ahigh contrast region (e.g. boney tissue) or a low contrast region (e.g.soft tissue). In one example, the user input data may include a regionof interest on the anatomy of the patient 14. The image processingmodule 43 may automatically determine to use the multi-row detector 38or the flat panel detector 40 based on the region of interest. Forexample, the user may select (i) the multi-row detector 38 to acquire animage of soft tissue, and (ii) the flat panel detector 40 to acquire animage of boney tissue.

Based on the user input data, the image processing module 43 maygenerate source data and detector type data. The image processing module43 may also generate motion profile data and collimator data. The sourcedata may include information to output x-ray pulses or a signal topower-down the imaging system 16. The detector type data may include theselected multi-row detector 38 or flat panel detector 40 to acquire theimage data. The motion profile data may include a selected profile forthe movement of the rotor 42 within the gantry 34. The collimator datamay include information to shape the x-ray pulses into collimated x-raypulses to match the selected one of the multi-row detector 38 and flatpanel detector 40.

The image processing module 43 may also receive as an input multi-rowdetector data and flat panel detector data. The multi-row detector datamay indicate the energy from the collimated x-ray pulses received by themulti-row detector 38. The flat panel detector data may indicate theenergy from the collimated x-ray pulses received by the flat paneldetector 40. Based on the multi-row detector data and the flat paneldetector data, the image processing module 43 may generate the imagedata 18 and may output this image data 18 to the display device 32 a ordisplay device 20.

The gantry control module 85 may receive as input the detector type dataand the motion profile data. Based on the detector type data, the gantrycontrol module 85 may generate flat panel move data or multi-row movedata (and/or corresponding signals). The flat panel move data mayinclude a selected position for the flat panel detector 40 to move to inorder to be aligned with the source 36 and collimator. The multi-rowmove data may include a selected position for the multi-row detector 38to move in order to be aligned with the source 36 and collimator.

The processor 26 or a module thereof, based on the source data, maycause the source 36 to generate pulse data for control of thecollimator. The pulse data may include pulse data for at least one x-raypulse. The processor 26 and/or a module thereof may receive as an inputthe multi-row move data and the collimated pulse data. Based on themulti-row move data, the multi-row detector 38 may move into alignmentwith the source 36. Based on the received pulse data, the processor 26and/or a module thereof may generate the multi-row detector data (and/ora corresponding signal) for the image processing module 43. Theprocessor 26 and/or a module thereof may receive as an input the flatpanel move data and the collimated pulse data. Based on the flat panelmove data, the flat panel detector 40 may move into alignment with thesource 36. Based on the received pulse data, the flat panel controlmodule may generate the flat panel detector data (and/or a correspondingsignal) for the image processing module 43.

Based on the motion profile data, the gantry control module 85 maygenerate rotor move data (and/or a corresponding signal) for the rotorcontrol module 90. The rotor move data may indicate a selected movementprofile for the rotor 42 to move within the gantry 34 to enable theacquisition of the image data. The rotor control module 90 may receiveas an input the rotor move data. Based on the rotor move data, the rotor42 may be moved within the gantry 34 to a desired location in order toacquire the image data.

FIG. 2 shows a portion 100 of the imaging system 16 of FIG. 1. Theportion 100 includes the gantry 34. FIG. 2 is shown for illustrativeexample purposes only. The gantry 34 and other components, devices,modules thereof, which are shown in FIG. 2 are not shown to scale andmay have different form factors than that shown. The gantry 34 and thecorresponding components, devices, modules may have different sizes andshapes than shown and may be in a different locations and configurationrelative to each other than shown. Also, in the following description,various coupling and/or engagement devices and members are described.The coupling and/or engagement devices (e.g., gears, pulleys, belts,brackets, etc.) and members are provided as examples and forillustration purposes, other coupling and/or engagement devices andmembers may be used. The disclosed gears may each have various sizes,may have different ratios relative to each other, and may have differentsizes and/or ratios than shown.

The gantry 34 includes an ‘O’-shaped housing 102. A cross-sectional viewof the V-shaped housing 102 is shown in FIG. 2. The rotor 82 is disposedwithin the housing 102. Although the rotor 82 is shown as being‘O’-shaped, the rotor 82 may be ‘C’-shaped. The rotor 82 may be, forexample, spool-shaped or have other similar shape to allow componentsand devices to be mounted on a cylindrical portion of the rotor 82.

The portion 100 further includes the gantry control module 85, a motor104, a motor actuator 106, motor coupling members 107, and anintermediate gear actuator 108. The actuators 106, 108 may includeand/or be implemented as motors. The gantry control module 85 controlsoperation of the motor 104, the motor actuator 106 and the intermediategear actuator 108. The motor actuator 106 may be powered by andcontrolled by the gantry control module 85. The motor actuator may movethe motor gear 118 as shown or may be separate from the motor 104 andmove the motor 104 and the motor gear 118. The coupling members 107couple the motor 104 and/or the motor actuator 106 to the motor gear118. The coupling members 107 may include brackets, clamps, hinges,gears, pulleys, belts, chains, etc. The portion 100 further includes thex-ray source 36, an x-ray detector 110 (e.g., one of the x-ray detectors38, 40 of FIG. 1), the rotor control module 90, and a generator 144.

The gantry control module 85 may be in a sleep (or stand-by) mode or maybe operated in a non-continuous rotation mode (sometimes referred to asa 2D imaging mode) or a continuous rotation mode (sometimes referred toas a 3D imaging mode). During the sleep mode, the rotor 82 of the gantry34 is not rotating and the motor 104 is turned OFF and/or is notrotating a motor axle 114 of the motor 104. During the non-continuousmode, the motor 104 is ON, but is not engaged with the rotor 82. As aresult, the rotor 82 is not rotating (or is stationary). The motor axle114 is connected to a motor (or first) pulley 116 and a motor (or first)gear 118. The motor actuator 106 is used to engage the motor gear 118 toor disengage the motor gear 118 from a rotor gear 120 (as indicated byarrow 122). The rotor (or second) gear 120 is mounted on the rotor 82and rotates with the rotor 82. During the non-continuous mode, the motorgear 118 is disengaged from the rotor gear 120.

The first pulley 116 may be connected to a second pulley 130 via firstcoupling member 132 (e.g., a belt, a chain, or other suitable couplingmember). The second pulley 130 is connected to an intermediate gearactuator 108 via second coupling member 134 (e.g., a shaft, a bracket,or other suitable coupling member). The second coupling member 134 mayinclude a second axle (or pin) 136 on which the second pulley 130 and anintermediate (or third) gear 138 are mounted. The first coupling member132 rotates the second pulley 130, which rotated the intermediate gear138. The second pulley 130 may be attached to the intermediate gear 138.The intermediate gear actuator 108 moves the second coupling member 134to engage the intermediate gear 138 with or disengage the intermediategear 138 from a first generator gear 140. Movement of the intermediategear 138 towards and away from the first generator gear 140 is shown byarrow 141. The first generator gear 140 is mounted on and/or configuredto engage with a generator axle 142 of a generator 144. The generator144 may be directly connected to the rotor 82 or may be mounted on therotor 82 via a bracket 148.

The first generator gear 140 rotates the generator axle 142, which inturn causes the generator 144 to generate current to power the rotorcontrol module 90, the source 36, the x-ray detector 110, sensors 145(e.g., position, velocity and/or acceleration sensors) and/or otherdevices on the rotor 82. The sensors 145 are shown in FIG. 3. As anexample, the sensors 145 may include an encoder 146. The encoder 146 maybe used to detect a position, speed, velocity and/or acceleration of therotor 82. Although the encoder 146 is shown as being mounted on therotor 82 and connected to the rotor control module 90, the encoder maybe mounted on the gantry 34 and may be connected to the gantry controlmodule 85. The sensors 145 may be located on the rotor 82 or off of therotor 82 and within the gantry 34.

A second generator gear 150 may also be connected to and/or mounted onthe generator axle 142 or on another axle of the generator 144. Thesecond generator gear 150 may always be engaged with a fixed (or fourth)non-rotating gear 152 (may be referred to as a “gantry gear”). The sizeof the second generator gear 150, the size of the teeth of the secondgenerator gear 150 and the fourth gear 152, and the size of the fourthgear 152 may be adjusted to adjust a ratio between the gears 150, 152and the rotating speed of the second generator gear 150 relative to thespeed of the rotor 82 and/or the speed of the rotor gear 120. Additionalintermediate gears may be connected between the gears 150, 152 toincrease the rotating speed of the second generator gear 150 relative tothe rotor 82 and/or the speed of the rotor gear 120. The fourth gear 152may be formed as part of the housing 102 (as shown) or may be separatefrom, mounted on, and/or connected to the housing 102. The fourth gear152 may always be indirectly engaged with the rotor gear 120 via thesecond generator gear 150 and thus may cause the second generator gear150 to rotate when the rotor 82 is rotating. The generator 144 is movedin circular motion within the housing 102, which causes the secondgenerator gear 150 to rotate and travel along the fourth gear 152 aroundthe inside of the housing 102.

For illustrative purposes the generator gears 140, 150 are shown withdashed lines. This is because the generator gears 140, 150 may be indifferent locations relative to each other and relative to the rotor 82.The generator gears 140, 150 may be disposed on sides of the rotor 82,between the side walls of the rotor 82, and/or rotate within an openingin a cylinder of the rotor 82. For example, if the rotor isspool-shaped, the rotor 82 may have side walls and a center cylinder.The center cylinder may have a hole in which a portion of the gears 140,150 rotate.

Although teeth 154 of the fourth gear 152 are shown as being external to(outside a periphery of) the rotor 82, the teeth 154 may be locatedinternal to (within an inner diameter of) the rotor 82. If the teeth arelocated internal to the rotor 82, the teeth may be located, for example,internal to an inner cylindrical surface 156 of the rotor 82 and withinthe housing 102. The second generator gear 150 may also be locatedinternal to the rotor 82 and travel on inner cylindrical surface 156.The internally located teeth may aid in maximizing the inner diameter ofthe rotor 82 and/or an inner diameter of the housing 102 in which apatient is positioned.

Rotation of the first generator gear 140 and/or the second generatorgear 150 may cause the generator 144 to turn ON and/or generate current.The first generator gear 140 is rotating when the intermediate gear 138is engaged with the first generator gear 140 and the motor gear 118 isrotating. The second generator gear 150 is rotating when (i) the motorgear 118 is engaged with the rotor gear 120, and (ii) the motor gear 118is rotating.

The x-ray source 36, the x-ray detector 110, the generator 144 and theencoder 146 may be connected to the rotor control module 90 via wires160, 162, 164. Although wires 160, 162, 164 are shown, the correspondingsignals may be wirelessly transmitted between (i) the devices 36, 110,144, 146, and (ii) the rotor control module 90.

The generator 144 may include one or more generator clutches 170 (shownin FIG. 3) for engaging the axle(s) (e.g., the axle 142). This as aresult engages the first generator gear 140 and/or the second generatorgear 150, which causes the generator 144 to generate current.

During the non-continuous mode, the intermediate gear 138 is engagedwith and rotating the first generator gear 140. Thus, during thenon-continuous mode, the motor 104 is supplying mechanical energy to thegenerator 144 via the pulleys 116, 130, the first coupling member 132,the intermediate gear 138, and the first generator gear 140. Thegenerator 144 then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energyto power the devices (e.g., the x-ray source 36, the rotor controlmodule 90, and the x-ray detector 110, and/or the sensors 145) on therotor 82. Note that the encoder may not be powered during thenon-continuous mode, as the rotor 82 is not moving.

During the continuous mode, the intermediate gear 138 is disengaged fromthe first generator gear 140. During the continuous mode, the motor gear118 is engaged with the rotor gear 120 and the rotor gear 120 rotatesthe second generator gear 150 due to engagement between the secondgenerator gear 150 and the fourth gear 152. Thus, during the continuousmode, the motor 104 is transferring mechanical energy to the generator144 via the motor gear 118, the rotor gear 120, and the second generatorgear 150. The generator 144 then converts the mechanical energy toelectrical energy to power the devices (e.g., the x-ray source 36, therotor control module 90, the x-ray detector 110 and/or the sensors 145).

Although the generator gears are shown as being located external to therotor gear 120 and teeth of the fourth gear 152 are shown as facinginward toward a center of the rotor 82, the teeth of the fourth gear 152and/or the generator gears 140, 150 may be located within an innerdiameter of the rotor 82. Also, although the teeth of the rotor gear 120is shown as facing outward away from a center of the rotor 82, the teethof the rotor gear 120 may face inward toward the center of the rotor 82and the motor gear 118 may be translated accordingly to engage with therotor gear 120.

The gantry control module 85 may receive power from a power source 180and supply the power to the motor 104 and/or the intermediate gearactuator 108 based on the operating mode. The gantry control module 85may control the actuators 106, 108 to engage and disengage the motorgear 118 and the intermediate gear 138. The motor gear 118 is notengaged to the rotor gear 120 when the intermediate gear 138 is engagedto the first generator gear 140 and vice versa.

Referring now also to FIG. 3, which shows another portion 151 of theimaging system 16 of FIG. 1. The portion 151 may include the x-raysource 36, the gantry control module 85, the rotor control module 90,the motor 104, the intermediate gear actuator 108, the x-ray detector110, the generator 144 and the power source 180.

The gantry control module 85 may include a gantry transceiver 200, agantry processing module 202 and a gantry power control module 204. Thegantry transceiver 200 may include a gantry medium access control (MAC)module 206 and a gantry physical layer (PHY) module 208. The rotorcontrol module 90 includes a rotor transceiver 210, a rotor processingmodule 212, and a rotor power control module 214. The rotor transceiver210 includes a rotor PHY module 216 and a rotor MAC module 218.

The gantry processing module 202 may wirelessly communicate with therotor processing module 212 via the transceivers 200, 210 and respectiveantennas 220, 222. The gantry processing module 202 may receive sensorsignals and/or information from the sensors 145 directly or from therotor control module 90. The gantry processing module 202 may control(i) power supplied to and/or position of the intermediate gear actuator108, and/or (ii) power supplied to the motor 104 and/or position themotor actuator 106, and/or (iii) speed of the motor 104. The gantryprocessing module 202 may generate a mode signal, which is provided tothe gantry power control module 204 and/or a motor control module 224 ofthe motor 104. The gantry power control module 204 may supply power tothe actuators 106, 108 and the motor 104 based on the operating modeindicated by the mode signal. The power supplied to the intermediategear actuator 108 and the motor 104 are shown as POW1 and POW2.

The motor 104 may include a motor clutch 226. The motor clutch 226 maybe used to engage or disengage the motor axle 114 and thus the motorgear 118. When engaged, the motor gear 118 is rotating. The motor gear118 may be engaged and rotating and not be engaged with the rotor 82.

The gantry MAC module 206 generates control signals based on data and/orinformation received from the gantry processing module 202. The gantryPHY module 208 wirelessly transmits the control signals to the rotor PHYmodule 216. The rotor MAC module 218 may generate information signalsbased on data and/or information received from the rotor processingmodule 212. The information signals are transmitted wirelessly via therotor PHY module 216 to the gantry PHY module 208. The gantry processingmodule 202 may control operation of the devices (e.g., x-ray source 36,x-ray detector 110, generator 144, rotor power control module 214, etc.)based on the information signals. The information signals may includesensor signals and/or corresponding information.

The rotor processing module 212 may generate a mode signal, which maymatch the mode signal generated by the gantry processing module 202. Therotor power control module 214 may receive power from the generator 144depending on the operating mode and as indicated by power signal GEN.The rotor power control module 214 may power the devices (e.g., x-raysource 36, x-ray detector 110, sensors 145, etc.) on the rotor 82 basedon the operating mode. Power supplied to the x-ray source 36 and thex-ray detector 110 are shown as POW3 and POW4. The generator 144 mayinclude a generator control module 172 and the one or more generatorclutches 170. The generator control module 172 may control engagement ofthe generator clutches 170 to the one or more generator axles (e.g., thegenerator axle 142). Engagement of the generator clutches increases loadon the rotor 82 or the intermediate gear 138, thereby increasing load onthe motor gear 118 and the motor 104.

The imaging system 16 or a portion thereof may be operated usingnumerous methods, an example method is illustrated in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4,a method of operating an imaging system 16 or a portion thereof isshown. Although the following tasks are primarily described with respectto the implementations of FIGS. 1-3, the tasks may be easily modified toapply to other implementations of the present disclosure. The tasks maybe iteratively performed.

The method may begin at 250. At 252, the gantry control module 85 and/orthe gantry processing module 202 selects an operating mode. Theoperating mode may be the stand-by mode, the non-continuous mode, or thecontinuous mode. Depending on the operating mode, task 254, 260 or 268may be performed subsequent to task 252.

At 254, the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module202 operates in the stand-by mode and, if not already disengaged, thegantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module 202disengages the motor gear 118 from the rotor gear 120 and thusdisengages the motor 106 from the rotor 82. At 256, if not alreadydisengaged, the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processingmodule 202 disengages the intermediate gear 138 from the first generatorgear 140. At 258, the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantryprocessing module 202 shuts off the motor 104.

At 260, the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module202 operate in the non-continuous mode and, if not already disengaged,the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module 202disengages the motor gear 118 from the rotor gear 120. At 262, thegantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module 202 engagesthe intermediate gear 138 to the first generator gear 140. This includespowering the intermediate gear actuator 108 and moving the intermediategear 138 towards and to engage with the first generator gear 140.

At 264, the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module202 turns ON the motor 104 to rotate the motor gear 118, the couplingmember 132, the intermediate gear 138, and the first generator gear 140.At 266, the generator 144 is engaged, reduces mechanical energy andgenerates power based on the rotation of the first generator gear 140.The power is supplied to the devices on the rotor 82.

At 268, the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module202 operate in the continuous mode and, if not already disengaged,disengages the intermediate gear 138 from the first generator gear 140.At 270, the gantry control module 85 and/or the gantry processing module202 engages the motor gear 118 to the rotor gear 120.

At 272, the rotor processing module 212 and/or the gantry processingmodule 202 determines a speed of the rotor 82. At 274, if the speed isgreater than a predetermined speed, then task 276 is performed. Thepredetermined speed may be associated with the generator 144 generatinga sufficient amount of power to power the devices on the rotor 82. Thegenerator 144 may be a high-voltage generator and may generate, when thegenerator axle 142 is up to speed, a predetermined voltage (e.g., 150kV). The motor 104 outputs a predetermined amount of torque to bothrotate the rotor 82 and spin the generator axle 142. At 276, one of theclutches 170 are engaged such that the second generator gear isproviding mechanical energy to the generator 144. The generator 144converts the mechanical energy to electrical power. Task 266 may beperformed subsequent to task 276.

Although not shown in FIG. 4, the generator 144 may be disengaged if thespeed of the rotor 82 decreases to be less than the predetermined speed.Thus, the generator 144 may not always be engaged and as a result loadof the generator 144 may not always be on the motor 104. This limits thepower needed from the motor 104 when initially spinning up the rotor 82.By first spinning the rotor 82 and then applying the load of thegenerator 144, the initial torque output of the motor 104 is reducedsubstantially. In addition, the weight of the rotor 82 and thecomponents and devices on the rotor 82 act as a flywheel such that whenthe generator 144 is engaged the flywheel provides some of the energyneeded to overcome the initial load of the generator 144.

Although not shown in FIG. 4 and subsequent to task 266, the gantrycontrol module 85, the gantry processing module 202, or other moduledisclosed herein may initiate x-ray imaging and recording of x-ray data.This may include generating and displaying x-ray images andcorresponding 3D models, as described above. 2D images may be acquiredduring the non-continuous mode. 2D and 3D images may be acquired and/orgenerated during the continuous mode.

Task 252 may be performed subsequent to any of tasks 258 and 266. Theabove-described tasks are meant to be illustrative examples; the tasksmay be performed sequentially, synchronously, simultaneously,continuously, during overlapping time periods or in a different orderdepending upon the application. Also, any of the tasks may not beperformed or skipped depending on the implementation and/or sequence ofevents.

The wireless communications described in the present disclosure can beconducted in full or partial compliance with IEEE standard 802.11-2012,IEEE standard 802.16-2009, IEEE standard 802.20-2008, and/or BluetoothCore Specification v4.0. In various implementations, Bluetooth CoreSpecification v4.0 may be modified by one or more of Bluetooth CoreSpecification Addendums 2, 3, or 4. In various implementations, IEEE802.11-2012 may be supplemented by draft IEEE standard 802.11ac, draftIEEE standard 802.11ad, and/or draft IEEE standard 802.11ah.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. It should be understood thatone or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (orconcurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Further, various embodiments are disclosed herein. Although each of theembodiments are described as having certain features, any one or more ofthe features described with respect to any one embodiment of thedisclosure can be implemented in and/or combined with features of any ofthe other embodiments, even if that combination is not explicitlydescribed. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutuallyexclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with one anotherremain within the scope of this disclosure.

Connections and/or relationships between elements (including circuitelements, non-circuit elements, modules, etc.) are described usingvarious terms, including “connected,” “engaged,” “coupled,” “adjacent,”and “disposed.” As an example, when a connection between first andsecond elements is described in the above disclosure, that connectioncan be a direct connection where no other intervening elements arepresent between the first and second elements, but can also be anindirect connection where intervening elements are present between thefirst and second elements. Other words used to describe a relationshipbetween elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g.,“engaged” versus “directly engaged”, “coupled” versus “directlycoupled”, etc.). When a first element is adjacent to a second element,the first element may be in contact with the second element or the firstelement may be spaced away from the second element without anyintervening element between the first element and the second element.When a first element is between a second element and a third element,the first element may be directly connected to the second element andthe third element (referred to as “directly between”) or interveningelements may be connected (i) between the first element and the secondelement, and/or (ii) between the first element and the third element. Asused herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construedto mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, andshould not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B,and at least one of C.”

In this application, including the definitions below, the term “module”or the term “controller” may be replaced with the term “circuit.” Theterm “module” may refer to, be part of, or include: an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; afield programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit;other suitable hardware components that provide the describedfunctionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as ina system-on-chip.

The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples,the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces that areconnected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide areanetwork (WAN), or combinations thereof. The functionality of any givenmodule of the present disclosure may be distributed among multiplemodules that are connected via interface circuits. For example, multiplemodules may allow load balancing. In a further example, a server (alsoknown as remote, or cloud) module may accomplish some functionality onbehalf of a client module.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and/ormicrocode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, datastructures, and/or objects. The term shared processor circuitencompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group processor circuit encompasses aprocessor circuit that, in combination with additional processorcircuits, executes some or all code from one or more modules. Referencesto multiple processor circuits encompass multiple processor circuits ondiscrete dies, multiple processor circuits on a single die, multiplecores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a singleprocessor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term shared memorycircuit encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group memory circuit encompasses amemory circuit that, in combination with additional memories, storessome or all code from one or more modules.

The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readablemedium. The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, does notencompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagatingthrough a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readablemedium may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory.Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium are nonvolatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit,an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-onlymemory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static randomaccess memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit),magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or ahard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or aBlu-ray Disc).

The apparatuses and methods described in this application may bepartially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer created byconfiguring a general purpose computer to execute one or more particularfunctions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks,flowchart components, and other elements described above serve assoftware specifications, which can be translated into the computerprograms by the routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that arestored on at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium. The computer programs may also include or rely on stored data.The computer programs may encompass a basic input/output system (BIOS)that interacts with hardware of the special purpose computer, devicedrivers that interact with particular devices of the special purposecomputer, one or more operating systems, user applications, backgroundservices, background applications, etc.

The computer programs may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed,such as HTML (hypertext markup language) or XML (extensible markuplanguage), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated from sourcecode by a compiler, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter,(v) source code for compilation and execution by a just-in-timecompiler, etc. As examples only, source code may be written using syntaxfrom languages including C, C++, C#, Objective C, Haskell, Go, SQL, R,Lisp, Java®, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, Javascript®, HTML5,Ada, ASP (active server pages), PHP, Scala, Eiffel, Smalitalk, Erlang,Ruby, Flash®, Visual Basic®, Lua, and Python®.

None of the elements recited in the claims are intended to be ameans-plus-function element within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. §112(f)unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for,” orin the case of a method claim using the phrases “operation for” or “stepfor.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: an x-ray scanner gantrycomprising a housing, a gantry gear formed as part of or connected tothe housing, a rotor, a generator mounted on the rotor, and a firstgenerator gear and a second generator gear connected to or configured toengage with one or more axles of the generator, wherein the secondgenerator gear is engaged with the gantry gear; an intermediate gear; afirst actuator connected to the intermediate gear; a motor gear coupledto and configured to rotate the intermediate gear; a motor configured torotate the motor gear; a second actuator configured to actuate the motorgear to engage the motor with the rotor; and a control module configuredto operate in a first mode and a second mode, wherein the control moduleis configured to while in the first mode, engage the intermediate gearto the first generator gear via the first actuator to rotate, via themotor gear, the intermediate gear and as a result the first generatorgear to generate power, and while in the second mode, engage the motorto the rotor via the second actuator to rotate, via the motor gear, therotor and as a result the second generator gear to generate power. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein: the generator comprises one or moreclutches configured to engage the first generator gear and the secondgenerator gear to one or more axles of the generator; while in the firstmode, the one or more clutches engage the first generator gear to theone or more axles; and while in the second mode, the one or moreclutches engage the second generator gear to the one or more axles. 3.The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to:operate in a third mode; and while in the third mode, the control moduleis configured to (i) disengage the motor from the rotor, and (ii)disengage the intermediate gear from the first generator gear.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to: prior tothe first mode, disengage the motor from the rotor such that (i) themotor is not rotating the rotor during the first mode, and (ii) thesecond generator gear is not rotating; and prior to the second mode,disengage the intermediate gear from the first generator gear such thatthe first generator gear is not being rotated by the motor gear duringthe second mode.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the x-ray scannergantry comprises a rotor gear mounted on and configured to rotate therotor, wherein: the second actuator is configured to actuate the motorgear towards the rotor gear to engage the motor gear with the rotorgear; and the control module is configured to, while in the second mode,engage the motor gear to the rotor gear via the second actuator torotate, via the motor gear, (i) the rotor, and (ii) the second generatorgear.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the gantry gear is fixed to thehousing and does not rotate.
 7. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a coupling member connecting the intermediate gear to themotor gear.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality ofdevices mounted on the rotor, wherein the generator is configured topower the plurality of devices while the control module is in the firstmode and the second mode.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein theplurality of devices comprise an x-ray source and an x-ray detector. 10.The system of claim 1, further comprising: a sensor mounted on the rotorand configured to generate a signal; and a rotor module connected to therotor and configured to, based on the signal, generate an informationsignal and wirelessly transmit the information signal to the controlmodule, wherein the control module is configured to engage the motor tothe rotor based on the information signal.
 11. The system of claim 1,further comprising a sensor configured to generate a signal, wherein:the signal is indicative of a speed of the rotor; and the control moduleis configured to (i) compare the signal to a predetermined speed, and(ii) if the speed is greater than the predetermined speed, signal thesecond actuator to translate the motor gear to engage the motor to therotor.
 12. The system of claim 1, further comprising: an x-ray sourceconnected to the rotor and configured to generate x-rays; an x-raydetector connected to the rotor and configured to detect the x-rays andgenerate a signal; and a processor configured to while the controlmodule is in the first mode, generate a 2D image based on the signal,and while the control module is in the second mode, generate a 3D imagebased on the signal.
 13. A system comprising: an x-ray scanner gantrycomprising a housing, a gantry gear formed as part of or connected tothe housing, a rotor, a generator connected to the rotor, and a firstgenerator gear connected to an axle of the generator, wherein the firstgenerator gear is engaged with the gantry gear; a motor gear; a motorconfigured to rotate the motor gear; a first actuator configured toactuate the motor gear to engage the motor with the rotor; and a controlmodule configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode, whereinthe control module is configured to while in the first mode, translatethe motor gear to disengage the motor from the rotor and turn OFF thegenerator, and while in the second mode, (i) translate the motor gearvia the first actuator to engage the motor to the rotor, and (ii)rotate, via the motor gear, the rotor and as a result the firstgenerator gear to generate power.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereinthe gantry gear is formed as part of the housing.
 15. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the gantry gear is attached to the housing.
 16. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein: during the second mode, the generator ismoved in a circular motion within the housing; and the circular motionof the generator along with the engagement between the first generatorgear and the gantry gear causes the first generator gear to spin togenerate power.
 17. The system of claim 13, further comprising: a secondgenerator gear connected to and/or configured to engage with the axle ofthe generator; an intermediate gear connected to the motor gear via acoupling member; and a second actuator configured to translate theintermediate gear relative to the second generator gear, wherein thecontrol module is configured to, while in a third mode, (i) disengagethe rotor from the motor, and (ii) via the second actuator, engage theintermediate gear to the second generator gear to rotate the axle of thegenerator and generate power.
 18. A system comprising: an x-ray scannergantry comprising a rotor, a generator connected to the rotor, and agenerator gear connected to an axle of the generator; an intermediategear; a first actuator connected to the intermediate gear; a motor gearcoupled to and configured to rotate the intermediate gear; a motorconfigured to rotate the motor gear; a second actuator configured toactuate the motor gear to engage the motor with the rotor; and a controlmodule configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode, whereinthe control module is configured to while in the first mode, engage theintermediate gear to the generator gear via the first actuator torotate, via the motor gear, the intermediate gear and as a result thegenerator gear to generate power, and while in the second mode,disengage the intermediate gear from the generator gear to turn OFF thegenerator.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first actuator isconnected to the intermediate gear via a coupling member.
 20. The systemof claim 18, further comprising a plurality of devices mounted on therotor, wherein: the generator is configured to power the plurality ofdevices while the control module is in the first mode; and the pluralityof devices comprise an x-ray source and an x-ray detector.